Here you will find documents arguing for the effectiveness of – or giving detailed descriptions to practicing – various Disruptive tactics. If you wanted to know how to build a barricade, run a consciousness raising group, or sabotage a pipeline, this is the place for you.
All
Blockade/Barricade
Consciousness Raising
Evasion
Occupation
Sabotage/Ecotage
Strike
We’re Not Paying That
All
Pre-Modern
1700-1830s
1840-1945
1946-1989
1990-2010
2011-Present
Power Anywhere Where There’s People! (1969)
The Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland, California, in 1966, and originally was called The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. It was a militant, leftist group in support of Black Liberation. Member Fred Hampto…
Miss America Protest Songs
The 1968 protest against the Miss America Pageant utilized many disruption tactics, the most well-known of which was a “Freedom Trash Can” used for burning items that the protestors deemed as oppressive to women. Another…
Sabotage – Emile Pouget (1908)
A pestiferous epidemic, becoming to the body social of capitalism more dangerous and incurable than cancer and syphilis are to the human body
Communique 1 From The Weather Underground (1970)
This communication from the Weather Underground was published on May 21,1970 and declares war on the United States of America.
Communique 2 From The Weather Underground (1970)
This communication from the Weather Underground was published on June 9, 1970 and takes responsibility for the bombing of a police headquarters.
A Call to Resist Illegitimate Authority (1967) by RESIST
This document was written by the group RESIST, which was a collective group formed in response to the growing unrest in the US surrounding the Vietnam War. It was disseminated by Marcus Raskin, Dr. Benjamin Spock, Willia…
Occupy Wall Street – Students (2011)
This document declares the occupation of student, university spaces during Occupy Wall Street.
Choke Points: Mapping an Anticapitalist Counter-Logistics – Degenerate Communism (2014)
Essay arguing for the material and theoretical logic behind the disruption of the circulation of capital. A mapping of the logistical infrastructure of California with assessment of its major choke points
USA Communist Party: A Manual on Organization (1935)
In 1935, The Communist Party of the USA published “A Manuagl on Organization”. The document was divided by it’s preface, chapter 1 regarding party fundamentals, chapter 2 on basic principles of the party’s organization,…
Communique 4 From The Weather Underground(1970)
This communication from the Weather Underground was published on Sept 15, 1970 and explains how they helped political prisoner Dr. Timothy Leary escape.
The Philippine Communist Party: Establish Underground Local Governments (1950)
As a way to overthrow the imperialist rule by both American and Japanese governments that had persisted in the Philippines for years, the Philippine Communist Party encouraged citizens to form local underground governmen…
Eviction Defense Toolkit – Anti-Eviction Network – 2020
Step by step guide on organizing an eviction defense including direct actions against Banks, Police, Judges, and Corporate Property Managers.
Statement to the Red Aid Teach-In (1972)
Between 1970 and 1998, the Anti-Fascist, Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Imperialism, Communist leftist militia The Red Army Faction was labeled as a terrorist organization in first West Germany, and then unified Germany. Ulrike M…
On the General Strike – Bill Haywood (1911)
This speech was given by Bill Haywood regarding general strikes in countries such as Italy, France, Germany, and Spain. He explains the importance and power of the general strike.
Scouting Manual For Activists – The Ruckus Society (2016)
A basic overview of scouting techniques including cover stories, useful equipment, and what to look out for when planning everything from a blockade to a banner drop.
Processed World Magazine by Chris Carlsson, Adam Cornford, Greg Williamson (1981-2005)
Processed World Magazine was established to foster unity among office workers, temps and any creatives who were being alienated by the processed world of the workplace
How Class Collaboration Works (1920s)
In the 1920s, the Communist Party in the USA published a pamphlet collection titled The Little Red Library. Written by Bertram D. Wolfe, communist and scholar, “How Class Collaboration Works”, was a Lenin inspired pamphl…
Organize the Unorganized – Trade Union Educational League (1926)
The Trade Union Educational League was founded in late 1920. It was supported by the Communist Party USA and a majority of members were also members of the Communist Party USA. Its goal was to build a union and workers…
The Wretched of the Earth – Conclusion (1961)
Frantz Fanon – who was born in the French colony Martinique – extensively wrote about decolonization. According to Fanon, decolonization is always a violent process. The violence involved in decolonization for Fanon is a…
Complete Guide To Ending The Fur Industry (2020)
The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is an animal rights group that was form in 1975, with the intention to end animal cruelty and exploitation. ALF is a nonviolent group, operating primarly underground by raiding plants wi…
The Railroaders’ Next Step – Trade Union Educational League (1921)
The Trade Union Educational League was founded in late 1920. It was supported by the Communist Party USA and a majority of members were also members of the Communist Party USA. Its goal was to build a union and workers’…
Sixth Statement on Uprisings in Turkey (2013)
This statement, made by the Devrimci Anarşist Faaliyet (DAF – Revolutionary Anarchist Action) describes occupations and uprisings in Turkey, including Gezi Park. It is an account of actions, motivations, and violence fa…
Anarchy Comics: Issue 1 by Jay Kinney (1978)
Anarchy Comics is a series of underground comic books that were anarchist and satirical, criticising mainstream society.
Earth First! Direct Action Manual (2015)
Tree-sits, ground blockades, scouting, tunneling, evading, and monkey-wrenching: the most up to date and complete Earth First! manual on defending the planet.
How to Master Secret Work (1985)
This pamphlet was published by the Communist Party of South Africa in 1985. It explains the benefits and importance of secrecy in revolutions. Additionally, it highlights the steps to set up secret networks, rules when e…
Taksim Commune: Gezi Park And The Uprising In Turkey – Brandon Jourdan (2013)
Short documentary filmed at the height of the 2013 Turkish Uprising focusing on the liberated zone of Taksim Square and the neighborhood assemblies in its aftermath.
How to Destroy a Cell Phone Tower – Warrior Up (2020)
Ingredients: 2-3 comrades, Entry tools (Boltcroppers, Wiresnips, etc) Gloves, Mask, Clean Clothes, Hat, Cap or Hood (for DNA traces) Fuel (500ml, White Spirit or Kerosene), Fuel (100ml of Benzine/Petrol), Firelighters,…
Seize the Hospitals! – The Young Lords (1970)
Account of and reasons behind the Young Lords barricading and occupation of the South Bronx Lincoln Hospital in Nov 1970 to set up a community drug program. The occupation aimed to: 1) Implement a drug program that woul…
Third Statement on Uprisings in Turkey (2013)
This statement, written by Devrimci Anarşist Faaliyet (DAF – Revolutionary Anarchist Action), discusses the ongoing occupations in Gezi Park and Taksim Square, particularly the police violence against them.
Amalgamation – Trade Union Educational League (1922)
The Trade Union Educational League was founded in late 1920. It was supported by the Communist Party USA and a majority of members were also members of the Communist Party USA. Its goal was to build a union and workers…
If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front by Marshall Curry (2011)
The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is the collective name for a group of individual cells that use ecotage to stop the destruction of the environemnt. This documentary tells the story of one of the activists, Daniel G McGo…
The General Strike – I.W.W. ‘Big’ Bill Haywood (1911)
Delivered on the 40th anniversary of the Paris Commune, Haywood traces the history of the general strike since 1871, its use as a disruptive tactic, and its relation with the ballot
Soviet Churches and Schools (1919)
Nikolai Bukharin – a Bolshevik revolutionary – discusses the need for not only economic liberation but also spiritual liberation of the working class and its party. He asserts that religion is a detriment to the workers’…
The People’s Church – The Young Lords (1969)
Account of the Young Lords occupation of a seldom used church to create space for free children’s breakfast program, a liberation school, and a people’s day care center.
Sabotage – I.W.W. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (1911)
In which the rebel girl describes various forms of sabotage including limiting the over-supply of workers through contraception.
Weatherman edited by Harold Jacobs (1970)
This book details the founding of the Weather Underground, as well as strategies for accomplishing their goals.
To the Peoples of the World – Zapatistas (2021)
This letter – written on January 1, 2021 – includes a description of what unites the people of the Zapatista movement and agreements to keep the struggle active.
We Want to Riot, Not to Work – The Brixton Uprisings (1982)
A pamphlet giving the day by day account of the 1981 Brixton Uprisings, race tension/solidarity, and theoretical reflections on the rise of the “Impossible Class”
The Radical Women Manifesto – Platform (2001)
The Radical Women Manifesto: Socialist Feminist Theory, Program and Organizational Structure is the manifesto of the Radical Women (RW). RW is an intersectional, multi-issue based organization rooted in intersectional, s…
Occupy Melbourne Leaflet (2011)
This leaflet from Occupy Melbourne describes the ways in which the Occupy movement has freed its participants from the reigns of capitalism.
Extinction Rebellion (2018-now)
Extinction Rebellion (XR) is a decentralized global protest group dedicated to raising awareness for biodiviersity loss and climate change, as well as persuading governments to enact policies that respond justly to the g…
“Eternal Vigilance” – Minneapolis Truckers’ Strike (1934)
This document was written by James P. Cannon on August 6, 1934 during the Minneapolis Truckers’ Strike. It describes the importance of resisting the violence and remaining persistent in their demands and needs.
Workers, Students! – Paris (May 1968)
This document, written during the events in Paris during May 1968, calls for students and workers to continue the resistance, continue the occupations, and keep their power.
See Red Women’s Workshop (1972)
In 1972, See Red Women’s Workshop was founded as a feminist organization committed to combatting sexist images of women in the media by replacing them with more empowering alternatives. Feminist activist came together to…
How To (Safely) Stop A Train – Bure Polit-Art Collective (2019)
“The interruption of electricity, goods or data streams with the aim of disturbing the functioning of capitalist logic or the infrastructure of the ruling order has always been a form of resistance.”
The Antiauthoritarian Manifesto of the Situationist Avant Garde (1961)
The Situationist International was an international organization that consisted of social revolutionaries who were also avant-garde theorists, artists, and scholars. Strongly inspired by communism, class consciousness, a…
Communiques from the Earth Liberation Front (1997-2002)
The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is the collective name for a group of individual cells that use ecotage to try to stop the destruction of the environemnt. This list of commniqes is compiled by former ELF spokesperson Le…
Proclamation to the Great White Father and All His People – Alcatraz Proclamation (1969)
Between November 20, 1969 and June 11, 1971, a group of Indigenous people – led by the group Indians of All Tribes (IAT) – occupied Alcatraz Island. The last of the occupiers were removed by the United States government.…
“Two Military Operations in the Heart of the Beast” Democratic Palestine (1984)
“Democratic Palestine” was a publication started in 1979 with the intention of cultivating solidarity among all global struggles against imperialism in the context of Palestine. This issue, “Two Military Operations in th…
The Urban Guerilla Concept (1971)
Between 1970 and 1998, the Anti-Fascist, Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Imperialism, Communist leftist militia The Red Army Faction was labeled as a terrorist organization in first West Germany, and then unified Germany.”The Urba…
Don’t Move, Occupy! (2013)
Mehmet Döşemeci analyzes global uprisings of 2011 and the occupation of public space in order to outline a theory of social arrest.
Andreas Baader: Letter to the Press (1972)
Between 1970 and 1998, the Anti-Fascist, Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Imperialism, Communist leftist militia The Red Army Faction was labeled as a terrorist organization in first West Germany, and then unified Germany. One of t…
Radical Education Project (1966)
This document is the introduction to the Radical Education Project. It includes their objectives, beliefs, and an invitation for those also interested in accomplishing the goals they outlined. Their overall objectives in…
You Do Need A Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows by Shin’ya Ono (1969)
“What I would like to go into here is how the Chicago action, and the Weatherman logic behind it, made, and still makes, compelling sense…”
I Am Your Sister: Black Women Organizing Across Sexualities (1985)
In 1985, feminist, civil rights activist, and librarian Audre Lorde published “I Am Your Sister: Black Women Organizing Across Sexualities”. The essay was centered around organizing black women in the fight against patri…
10 Steps for Setting Up a Blockade – (2018)
First off, understand that you CAN do this. For the last 18 months groups as small as 8 have been disrupting and occupying pipeline construction sites all over Turtle Island. It takes even fewer than that to accomplish m…
POPaganda: The Art and Crimes of Ron English (2006)
“Bombarded by relentless advertising in a growing culture of junk, one man-activist/artist Ron English-dares to hijack corporate advertising, challenging us to change the sham of reality…Ron takes traditional advertisi…
Work: Democratize, Decommodify, Remediate – 2020
Ferreras, Méda, and Battilana, Covid-19 inspired Manifesto subsequently published in 43 Newspapers in 36 countries, calling for a revival of the workers councils, the decommodification of labor, and the disruption of en…
The Do-It Yourself Occupation Guide – MTL Counter Info (2012)
How to occupy a building. Tips and tactics on entry, sealing the building, access, and defense against eviction.
BUGA-UP: Billboard Utilizising Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions (1979-early/mid 1980s)
BUGA-UP is a organization formed in Australia to protest cigarette and other unhealthy advertisments, through cultutal jamming, specifically by vandalizing billboards.
The People’s Detox (Film) – Jenna Bliss (2018)
n November 1970, Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx was collectively occupied by local heroin addicts, revolutionary health organizations, the Young Lords, and the Black Panther Party. In her 2018 film The People’s D…
Letter from the Strike Committee – Lawrence, Massachusetts (1912)
This letter is from the striking textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912. It is written to the president of the American Woolen Co. William M. Wood. The letter explains that workers can no longer bear the wor…
Defend the Territory – Warrior Publications (2014)
Tactics and Techniques for Countering Police Assaults on Indigenous Communities. Covers everything from evading police and crowd control tactics including chemical weapons, water cannons, and armored vehicles.
Shields Barricades and Words of Wisdom from Puerto Rico – Disruption Project (2020)
A love letter to US activists from Puerto Rico, giving advice on barricades, assemblies, and wresting the street from police control.
Introduction to Anarchy Comics by Jay Kinney (2012)
Anarchy Comics is a series of underground comic books that were anarchist and satirical, criticising mainstream society.
A Recipe for Nocturnal Direct Actions! – MTL Counter-Info (2017)
Step-by-Step guide for covering your tracks including scouting, prep, CCTV evasion, DNA Forensics, and arrest.
SDS Fire (1969)
On December 6, 1969, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) published these writings. They cover a variety of topics including revolution, military conquest, and justice. It is a deep critique of the United States in wh…
The Red Rebel Brigade (2019-now)
We illuminate the magic realm beneath the surface of all things and we invite people to enter in, we make a bubble and calm the storm, we are peace in the midst of war. We are who the people have forgotten to be!
The Masses’ Struggle is the Beginning of the People’s Armed Struggle! (1977)
In 1973, a military coup forcefully removed democratically elected President Salvador Allende, replacing him with military dictator Augosto Pinochet. Under his military all left-wing movements were repressed and ended th…
“We are Power” – John Trudell (1980)
John Trudell, an active member of the indigenous struggle, gave this speech on July 18, 1980 at the Black Hills Survival Gathering. In his speech, he speaks of oppression, power, and liberation.
Towards a Semiological Guerrilla Warfare by Umberto Eco (1986)
Eco argues that controlling the message is less important than controlling the possible interpretations of the message. To disrupt the mainstream mass media, Eco suggests using guerilla tactics, such as cultural jamming,…
The Political Invention of the Feminist Strike – L. Cavallero & V. Gago (2021)
Luci Cavallero and Verónica Gago discuss the March 8th feminist strike in Argentina in both global and historical context. They argue that the strike disrupts multiple domains of patriarchal society – weaving together j…
Brochure by the Weather Underground (1969)
This is an organizing pamphlet written by the Weather Underground for a November 15, 1969 anti-war demonstration.
Fourth Statement on Uprisings in Turkey (2013)
This statement, issued by Devrimci Anarşist Faaliyet (DAF – Revolutionary Anarchist Action), describes the uprisings that spread across Turkey in 2013. It includes details of violence that protestors and occupations hav…
Raise Three Fingers for Democracy (2021)
This website was created by Myanmar artists as a way to unify the global art community in support of the protesters in Myanmar
From Protest to Resistance (1968)
Published by leftist journalist Ulrike Meinhof, “From Protest to Resistance” aims to inspire protestors to take up more forceful resistance against the right and the state.
The Enemy Within (1970)
This document was written by Susan Brownmiller in 1970. She discusses the ways in which women have internalized sexism and patriarchal expectations – for themselves and for other women. She explores this partly through h…
The World’s Trade Union Movement – Trade Union Educational League (1924)
The Trade Union Educational League was founded in late 1920. It was supported by the Communist Party USA and a majority of members were also members of the Communist Party USA. Its goal was to build a union and workers…
Manifesto of the Fast Food Worker – Socialist Alternative (U.S.) (2003)
The Manifesto of the Fast Food Worker was published in 2003 by U.S. based group, the Socialist Alternative. This piece is broken into an introduction, the history and economics of the fast food industry, the treatment of…
Temporary Autonomous Zone – Hakim Bey (1985)
Anarchist text by Hakim Bey about creating temporary spaces that elude formal structures of control. From Pirate Utopias to Nomadic Bands, Poetic Terrorism to Ontological Anarchy, Hakim Bey draws on history and philosoph…
The Redstockings Manifesto (1970)
Founded in 1969 in New York City, The Redstockings, short for Redstockings of the Women’s Liberation Movement, published their manifesto in 1970. The radical feminist group mobilized women primarily through the use of co…
A Critique of the Miss America Pageant (1968)
The Miss America Pageant Protest marked a turning point for the Women’s Liberation Movement, because the media coverage of the event itself exposed the American public to the existence of the movement. With a focus on th…
The Social General Strike – Stephan Naft (1905)
The social general strike will completely interrupt production in the whole country, stop communication and consumption for the ruling classes long enough to totally disorganize the capitalistic society
Proclamation of the Striking Textile Workers of Lawrence (1912)
This document is the proclamation of the striking textile workers of Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912 – known as the Bread and Roses Strike. The workers went on strike due to the low wages and long hours. This proclamatio…
A Woman’s Guide to Stanford (1986)
The Women’s Guide to Stanford Collective was an organization of women at Stanford University who would yearly publish handbooks of what were essentially survival guides to being a woman at the university. Topics covered…
The Woman Today (1937)
In the mid-1930s, as the Communist Party in the United States attempted to navigate a complex process of self-definition, the inclusion of women in politics reflected the Party’s negotiations with regards to group identi…
Occupy Oakland: The Port Shutdown – Jack Gerson (2012)
Gerson discusses the transition of Occupy Movement from occupation of Public Squares to Port Blockades and the disruption of global commodity circulation.
CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone) Demands – 2020
The Demands of the police-free Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone established in Seattle, USA on 8 June during the height of the 2020 Black Lives Matter Uprising. These included the abolition of the city’s police department an…
The Approaching Obsolescence of Housework: A Working-Class Perspective (1981)
In 1981, Angela Davis Published “Women, Race, and Class”. The book analyzes the women’s liberation movement through the lens and intersection of racism and classism. Chapter 13, “The Approaching Obsolescence of Housework…
Anatomy of an Industrial Struggle (1976-1978)
This article was written by Garry Hill who worked at the Tonsley Park Chrysler plant in Australia in 1976 during the workers’ struggles – that he actively participated in.
A Terrorist Call for “Building a Red Army” (1970)
Between 1970 and 1998, the Anti-Fascist, Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Imperialism, Communist leftist militia The Red Army Faction was labeled as a terrorist organization in first West Germany, and then unified Germany. In this…
Our Lives are at Stake – Shell Strike (1973)
This pamphlet tells the story of the United States Shell Strike in 1973. It includes descriptions of working conditions, exploitation of workers, and the strike itself.